fertility treatment options

overview

Individual factors determine which treatment options might be most appropriate for your situation. You’ll work closely with your doctor and complete a fertility evaluation to decide which treatment will give you the best chance of getting pregnant.

Our fertility doctors are nationally recognized reproductive endocrinologists backed by a team of experienced nurses, clinical embryologist and medical technologists.

evaluation

Before we recommend an approach, we’ll do a complete evaluation, determining the factors contributing to your infertility.

Hysterosalpingogram (HSG): An X-ray of the uterus and fallopian tubes done between days 5 and 10 of your cycle, to look for fibroids, polyps or adhesions in your uterus, or blockages in your fallopian tubes

Sonohysterogram (SHG): An ultrasound of the uterus done between days 5 and 10 of your cycle

services & treatment

We offer these fertility treatment options:

Blastocyst transfer: A blastocyst is an embryo that has developed for 5 to 6 days after fertilization. Transferring these more developed embryos can improve success rates. This is because the blastocyst embryo transfer happens at a more natural time for the embryos to be in the uterus than when a 3-day-old embryo transfer is made. This method also lowers the chance of multiple pregnancies.

Complementary approaches: Acupuncture has been shown to help fertility for both men and women. For men, acupuncture can increase the quality and quantity of sperm. For women, acupuncture can improve pregnancy rates during in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment cycles, increase blood flow to the uterus, reduce stress-related hormones that can interfere with pregnancy, improve ovulation rates for women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), regulate the menstrual cycle and improve mood, sleep and energy.

Egg donation: An egg donor is used if the woman’s eggs can’t be used for conception. Eligible egg donors are women between the age of 21 and 31 who meet the guidelines established by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. If you’re interested in being an egg donor, contact the Aurora Fertility Services Donor Coordinator or call 877-358-0833. Eligible donors are entered into our donor database for recipients to review. If chosen, donors are asked to complete blood tests, ultrasounds and a psychological evaluation – all paid for by the recipient. Women who complete the egg donation process receives $5,000 monetary compensation after the egg retrieval. In addition, the recipient pays all medical expenses.

Embryo cryopreservation (by use of vitrification): Additional embryos are frozen using an ultra-rapid freezing process that hardens without ice crystal formation.

Frozen embryo transfer (FET): Embryos frozen on days 5 and 6 after fertilization are thawed and transferred to the woman’s uterus. The timing of the transfer is coordinated to the woman's ovulation cycle.

Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI): In this procedure, a single sperm is injected into a mature egg.

Intrauterine insemination: Sperm that have been "washed" and concentrated are placed directly in the uterus to match a woman's ovulation cycle.

In vitro fertilization (IVF): A woman's ovaries are stimulated to produce eggs. The eggs are then retrieved and inseminated before being implanted back into the woman's uterus.

Long-term storage of cryopreserved embryos: Additional embryos that weren’t implanted during an in vitro fertilization cycle can be stored until you’re ready to use them.

Long-term storage of cryopreserved semen: Semen can be frozen and stored for long periods to preserve a male's fertility options prior to medical procedures such as cancer treatments or for other personal reasons.

Donor sperm: When the male partner's sperm is not viable to achieve pregnancy or there is no male partner, frozen donor sperm can be used from a sperm cryo-bank.

Stimulated insemination cycle: A woman’s cycle will be stimulated with medications before insemination in order to maximize the timing and effectiveness of the procedure.

Surrogacy (gestational carrier): A surrogate carries a pregnancy for an individual (or couple) who wishes to have a child.

meet tracey & dan

Building a Family

To the Wetzels, Oliver will always be their miracle baby. See Tracey and Dan share their story.